Means for dressing and repointing hypodermic needles



Nov. 2, 1948. R, R ABLER 2,452,696

MEANS FOR DRESSING AND REPOINTING HYPODERMIC NEEDLES Filed Jan. s, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Pob/nson P. 5 fab/er- Nov. 2, 1948. R. R.YSTAIBLER 2,452,696

MEANS FOR DRESSING AND REPOINTING HYPODERMIC NEEDLES Filed Jan. 8, 19 48 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fob/n50 R sfab/er- Patented Nov. 2, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR DRESSKNG AND EEPOINTING HYPODERMKC NEEDLES Robinson R. Stabler, Greensboro. N. C. Application January 8, 1948,, Serial No...1,221

6 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to a device for easily, quickly and accurately sharpening the points of hypodermic needles. By the use of this device hypodermic needles which have become blunted or damaged may be restored to a condition as good as new needles and at a very slight cost.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending application, Serial No. 749,207, filed May 20, 1.947. As this description proceeds it will be seen that the present application introduces certain new features of construction by virtue of which the desired results are accomplished in a more facile, economical and efficient way though without departing from the basic principles of my aforesaid current application.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a right hand elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view illustrating the mounting and the actuating spring of the hone carrying slide;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through said hone carrying slide on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig, 6 is a fragmentary View illustrating the pivoting element between the main frame and the needle carrying assembly;

Fig. '7 is a front end elevation of the support and bearing for the needle carrying mandrel;

Fig. 8 is a detailed side view of the needle carrying mandrel; and

Fig. 9 is an inner face view of a disc for operating said mandrel and for holding it in adjusted position.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings 5 designates an elongated main frame member, said frame being longitudinally channelled at 5 for the reception of a hone carrying carriage or slide l. The stone constituting the hone is indicated at 8. In action the slide '5 along with the hone is thrust outwardly by the action of a spring 9 said slide and hone being thrust inwardiy manually against the action of said spring, To reduce the overall length of the device, when not in use, a screw id is threaded into the main frame 5 in position to bind the slide at its inward limit of movement. The outer end of the spring engages an L shaped projection, it upon the slide '5 and the extent of throw of the slide may be varied by the positioning of this projection it with respect to the length of the slide. The outward movement of the slide under the action of the spring is limited by a stop screw l2 and this screw may be of any desired length to give a more or less lim ted adjustment of the throw of the slide and hone. J

a guise bar which angular and preferably square in cross section has its inner end bound into engagement with a pivot block M by a set screw it. Spaced cars it upon the left hand end of the main frame receive the pivot block Ill between them, that portion of the block which enters between said ears being indicated at H in Fig. 6. A stout, knurled, binding screw l8 serves to bind the member ll between the ears i6 and consequently serves to determine the angular position of the guide bar i3 with respect to the main frame 5.

A bearing head is has its L-shaped foot 20 pierced for the passage of the guide bar !3 said head being adjustably bound upon the guide bar through the medium of a set screw 2E. The bearing head 59 constitutes a mounting for a mandrel 23, this mandrel being illustrated in detail in Fig. 3. This mandrel comprises an abutment 2%, said abutment in turn carrying a ledge 25 which overhangs a tapered end 2E5 of the mandrel. This tapered end is dimensioned to receive the tapered socket 2'! of the hypodermic needle to be sharpened, one of such needles being indicated at 28 in Fig. 1. It is conventional practice to provide hypodemic needles with tapered socketed heads by which they are customarily mounted upon hypodermic syringes. According to the present invention the tapered portion 26 of the mandrel is dimensioned to correspond with the conventional tapered portion of the hypodermic syringes so that these stand.- ard needles may be received thereon. A binding screw 29 serves to bind the needle upon the mandrel. A dove tailed guide way as is formedalong the upper face of the head is. See Figs. 2 and 7. A slidable latch 3| mounted in this guide way, when thrust into a locking recess 32 of the abutment 24 serves to lock the mandrel in its centered position. A knurled disc 33 is bound upon the rear end of the portion 23a of the mandrel by a nut 34. The inner face of this disc is provided with an'arcuate slot 35. This slot extends through an arc of 90. degrees or, in other Words, about 45- degrees upon' each side of the vertical center of the disc. A stop pin 3i; formed upon the rear end of the head 19 enters the slot 35 and limits the throw of the disc and consequently limits the throw of the mandrel to ap proximately 45 degrees upon each side of the center.

A spring clip 38 carrying an upstanding finger piece 39 by which it may be slid along the main frame 5 carries a spring finger Ail. This finger 5i! has. its free end notched as indicated, at-M so that it may be firmly engaged with theneedle 28.

In operation the set screw 2! is loosened; and the assembly comprising the head l9 and the parts carried thereby is slid outwardly along bar it far enough to permit the needle to be mounted upon the mandrel, as shown in Fig. 1. After the needle has been securely fastened in place by tightening screw 29 upon that part of the hub 21 which enters the space between portions 25 and 25 of the mandrel the assembly is moved downwardly along the guide bar 53 until the end of the needle rests securely upon the home; after which the set screw 2i is tightened. The spring finger 41 is then brought into engagement with the forward portion of the needle to cause the needle to bear firmly upon the hone. The hone is then reciprocated in the manner described to sharpen the needle. By slidably mounting the bearing head I 9 and the mandrel upon a relatively slightly inclined guide bar 13 the approach of the needle point to the surface of the hone may be made so gentle as to avoid bending or other damage to the delicate needle point.

If, during the honing operation, the parts being left in their central position or, in other words, be left in the position illustrated in Fig. 2 where the latch 3! is engaged with the recess 32 then the bevel produced upon the needle will be a conventional and simple flat bevel. However, this bevel may be made a long or a short bevel or anything therebetween by adjusting the guide bar about its pivot, constituted by the screw 58.

By first forming the flat bevel described and thereafter adjusting the mandrel first to one side and then to the other to the limit permitted by the arcuate slot 35, a needle having a triple bevel point will be produced. while if the operator moves the mandrel back and forth to its limits of movement during the sharpening operation after having first produced the fiat bevel, a rounded point will be produced upon the needle.

Thus it will be seen that the new features now incorporated in the device render it of universal application as far as the mounting of the needle is concerned, make it possible to reduce the overall length of the device when not in use and facilitate the operation of the hone b causing its movement in one direction to be spring actuated.

These various objects are accomplished through the medium of mechanism which is of greater simplicity than that heretofore proposed.

I wish it to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth but that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. A device for restoring the points of hypodermic needles comprising, an elongated main frame having a longitudinally extending way formed therein, a slide mounted for endwise reciprocation in said way, a honing slab engaged by said slide, said frame being shaped to provide an elongated chamber beneath said slide, a spring housed in said chamber, means for engaging said spring with the slide in such manner as to cause the spring to tend to move the slide toward one end of the frame, an inclined guide bar extending upwardly and outwardly-beyond the other end of the frame and in the direction of the length of the frame, means for pivotally connecting the lower end of said guide bar to the last named end of the frame, a mandrel comprising a shaft, a bearing head in which said shaft is mounted, a foot slidably mounted upon the guide bar and by which the bearing head is carried, means for holding the foot in varying positions of adjustment along said guide bar, said shaft extending in the direction of the length of said guide bar, and means at that end of the shaft nearest the honing slab constructed to engage a conventional hypodermic needle to hold the said needle in axial alignment with the shaft.

2. A structure as recited in claim 1 wherein said shaft is mounted in the head to permit it to be turned through arcs of degrees upon each side of a vertical plane extending lengthwise of the axis of said shaft, and means for binding said shaft against such turning movement at the intermediate point of such possible turning movement.

3. A structure as recited in claim 1 wherein said shaft is mounted in the head to permit it to be turned through arcs of 45 degrees upon each side of a vertical plane extending lengthwise of the axis of said shaft, means for binding said shaft against such movement at the intermediate point of such possible turning movement and means upon the shaft for manually turning the same.

4. A structure as recited in claim 1 wherein the needle engaging means of the shaft comprises an end portion on the shaft shaped to enter the interior of the hub of a hypodermic needle, a ledge lying alongside said end portion also carried b said shaft and a binding screw threaded into said ledge in a position to have its end engage the side of the hub of a needle mounted on said end of the shaft.

5. A device for restoring the points of hypodermic needles comprising, an elongated main frame having a longitudinally extending way formed therein, a slide mounted for endwise reciprocation in said way, a honing slab engaged by said slide, said frame being shaped to provide an elongated chamber extending lengthwise beneath said slide, a helical spring housed in said chamber, the Way in which the slide is mounted having its end open at one end of the frame, means for connecting the spring to the slide in such manner as to cause the spring to tend to thrust the slide and honing slab outwardly beyond said last named end of the frame, means for holding the slide at its inward limit of movement into the frame and against the tension of said spring, a hypodermic needle supporting structure, an inclined guide bar pivotally enaged with that end of the frame remote from the open end of the way and means for slidably mounting the needle supporting structure upon the guide bar for movement toward and from the honing slab and along the inclined path provided by said guide bar.

6. A mandrel for mountin a hypodermic needle for cooperation with a honing machine, said mandrel comprising an oscillator shaft having a forward tapered end dimensioned to receive the conventional socketed elements of hypodermic needles, an abutment carried by said mandrel rearwardly of said tapered portion, said abutment carrying an overhanging ledge overlying th tapered portion and binding means carried by said ledge for engaging the socheted element of a hypodermic needle after the same has been mounted upon said tapered portion.

ROBJNSON R. STABLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 

